Obama’s inauguration

He denounced “petty grievances” and “recriminations” – which are pretty much the mortar of our political system – as “childish things.” He declared that the “stale political arguments that have consumed us no longer apply.” This tone amounted to an excruciatingly polite evisceration of the Bush style (particularly coupled with the expression of thanks to Bush) but also to an appeal for bipartisan cooperation.

Moreover, the ceremony began with the Rick Warren invocation, and followed Obama’s dinner with conservative scribblers at George Will’s house as well as consultations with John McCain on presidential appointments.

But Obama isn’t reaching out just to Republicans. Most startling, in his inaugural address he described America as “a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus – and non-believers.” That’s the first time I can recall an American president ever saying anything inclusive about atheists (who constitute about 8 percent of Americans, are fast-growing and much reviled; Americans say in polls that they are willing to elect almost anyone president but an atheist).

Partly because of all this inclusiveness, Obama has a vast amount of political capital at his disposal. I hope he begins using it now. The reason to accumulate political capital is to achieve changes in government, not just to hold hands and sing Kumbaya together. Obama’s outreach to Republicans makes sense if it will help him get Congressional majorities and overcome filibusters. But there is also a danger that the desire to be liked will dissipate his desire to accomplish his own objectives.

For example, Obama has talked about moving toward universal health care, and it’s difficult to think of a more crucial national objective — or one that will be more controversial. Likewise, education reform including intensive pre-school programs for kids who need it is essential if we’re going to provide greater opportunity to those left behind. And we need a more balanced policy in the Middle East if we are to have any hope of moving toward peace, and that will be tremendously controversial. These are immense challenges, and progress is only possible if Obama is willing to lay down and bet his political capital and antagonize many of those who now admire him.

LBJ was an example, in domestic policy, of a president who tried hard to accumulate political capital and use it to transform the country in social and racial matters. As a result, he left a powerful legacy, domestically (granted, foreign policy was a mess).

Maybe Obama is trying to build a big tent because it’s so obvious that George W. Bush failed in part because he attempted to govern from a pup tent. Bush never attempted outreach, never consulted anyone who wasn’t a member of his tribe.

It’s too early to know where Obama is going, and he’s an immensely shrewd politician; nobody has ever made money betting against him. I just hope that all this outreach is a preface to a real push to achieve the objectives he talked about in the campaign, even if that drives some people fuming from his big tent.

I’d welcome your comments to this blog post, because I may come back to these issues in my column, which will run Thursday.

I have been a supporter of Obama since his run in the primary for U.S. Senator – I have never faltered in my support even though not all of his stances are as “liberal” as mine. And I was moved to find non-believers like me included in the litany but I must add that we ARE believers in mankind!

The previous administration was a series of unpleasant surprises, one oh-no-they-didn’t! moment after another. Now, I look forward to being surprised, but in a good way. When people are sharper and wiser than me, I don’t mind it; I welcome it. I’m so grateful for today, grateful to be young enough that I have my whole life ahead of me, yet old enough to understand fully how this fits into our continuing national story. I can’t wait to turn the page.

Sure we don’t know what he’s going to do about making health care universal and reducing costs, about dealing with the problems in Gaza and Zimbabwe and Somalia, about doing more for early education than throwing money at it, but we have faith in him and we’re willing to support his answers when we don’t know what the right answers are ourselves.

After all he included us non-believers in his list, and that goes a long way.

the federal civil service is battered because the agencies responsible to protect federal employees from agency lawbreaking do not. They have become political spoils as a result. Obama needs to say that federal employees can do their duty, loyalty and ethically, without fear or favor, consistent with the merit systems of the federal civil service.

Thanks for your tireless work, Mr. Kristof.
I am not worried that his desire to be liked will hamper Obama. He seems very focused. Besides, his “likeability” has won over many reluctant detractors.
May both of you keep up the good work!

Congratulations from the UK on a president that could help Americans restore the USA to the role we have all been waiting for it to play.

Congratulations as well for having used the tune of our British National Anthem for Aretha Franklin – now that’s what I call reaching out to the rest of the world – we don’t even mind you pinching our intellectual property for the day and pretending you composed it………. ;-)

I was most enthusiastic about his comment that “we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals.” Among all the problems I saw in the Bush administration, their conduct of torture and violation of human rights was the most appalling. To see Obama so starkly set aside Bush’s views was wonderful, especially in contrast with Bush’s “defense” of his administration’s actions.

The Obama message of ” Inclusion not Exclusion” is what has rung true to Americans and its the bedrock of Obama’s mandate. His reaching out to John McCain is a brilliant example , building a coalition to help pass needed legislation. This isn’t window dressing , this is Obama , and he’ll make us proud er

I think Obama is “gathering” the country much like a community organizer would want to in order to discuss issues affecting the community. I think on a local level this works, but nationally, I guess we have to wait and see.

It will be intriguing to see how Obama pulls off this inclusion, but I imagine that he will hold on to and promote issues that have bipartisan support, and subtly work on passing the issues that may not more behind the scenes.

I find it most striking to see how Obama knows what his narrative is with American people, wether it be from a liberal, christian, black, conservative point of view. Him knowing his narrative is going to allow him to use his political skills to the best of his ability.

One of the things that stands out for me in this inauguration is Obama’s conscious expressions of respect for others. He didn’t gloss over the failures of the last administration, in fact he was rather sharp about its shortcomings, and yet he walked the former president and the first lady to the helicopter that would carry them away and stood by with them until it was time for them to board. That was a very deliberate act of respect for the out-going president. He was, in effect, walking his guests out to their car. He is dignified and eloquent and intelligent and all that, but I think that this act demonstrates perhaps the most important aspect of his character: a pervasive respect for all people. Everybody wants that–just ask Aretha.

Well, all the talk is over and now the time for movement and action is upon us. I am scared. I believe in Presdent Obama and trust him, however, many people are out there waiting to derail his moves and then cast an ugly shadow over his words. I am sure this will happen sooner then later, it almost happened with his Senatorial seat. All any of us can do to help him is pray. I hope we can all be willing to listen and act when he calls on all Americans to help with sacrifice with what ever the action is.

In my personal experience, it’s amazing how much more willing people are to accept decisions they disagree with when they feel that their opinions were at least heard, taken seriously and considered thoughtfully. I agree that President Obama has been impressively inclusive. Yet his actions to date seem to suggest he will work to maintain his “large tent” by continuing to seek out and listen to dissenting opinions, not by avoiding controversial decisions. After all, he has also spent plenty of time talking about the need for action on difficult issues. Sure, some ideologues will reject what they see as a lack of “loyalty”. But I believe most will see the value of practical decisions made through broad consultation – even if they don’t agree with every single decision made.

This is the first time that a Hindu has been recognized on such a platform. In spite of being one of the oldest and most tolerant religion, it is a shame that it is still a oddity to the American mainstream audience. I was impressed with Obama’s interest in reaching out and recognizing this. Hurray and hope he succeeds in his task.

It’s salient that you point out the need for a more “balanced policy in the Middle East” in order to achieve progress there. During his campaign, Obama largely catered his rhetoric toward pro-Israel constituents, but it’s clear that in order to move toward a more stable framework in the Middle East, Obama is going to have to take a tougher stance against Israel’s disproportionate punishment against Gaza and Lebanon. Will Obama have the courage to explicitly talk about Palestinian human rights as a first step toward a more balanced approach? I hope so.

I appreciate the fact that, despite trying to capture everyone in his tent, President Barack Hussein Obama did not mince words when being critical of the past 8 years. Despite my concerns about his expanding the tent to include perhaps too many ‘wrong’ people, that aspect of his speech did give me some comfort.

PS What do people think about the moment on Oprah when Dr. Biden blurted out that Mr. Biden had the choice between Vice and State? Is this a big deal or not? I thought it was kind of adorable, the way she realized she had flubbed, and just plowed through it, and how Mr. Biden turned bright pink. Do you think discreet gasps of horror were rolling through the respective Clinton, Biden, and Obama camps, or is it all’s well that ends well?

I am proud today. We are seeing each others as equals. We are giving one another the respect, dignity and kindness we all deserve. We have a leader who is an exceptional model of these qualities. Like a wise leader, he is asking us to own our government. He wants our patience, our sacrifice, our thoughts and guidance.

Barack isn’t inviting us to join him under his “big tent”. He is inviting us to take ownership in this place we call home. With humility and love, Barack is showing us how to see one another as family.

We will sometimes disagree. We are strong enough grow from our disagreements. We are wise enough to put them aside to build a better world.

For a man so interested in inclusion, Obama’s speech also drew a very clear line in the sand between Then and Now – – between the Bush era and the new era that starts today:

“We have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.”

“What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them…the question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works….”

“A nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous.”

“As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals.”

With this speech, Obama signals an end to the Reagan era, these last three decades when “government isn’t the solution; government is the problem.”

Obama recognizes that government IS. It exists, therefore it has the power vitally determine the course of our lives. I was rather surprised, actually, by his forceful repudiation of all that Bush stands for.

The government that focuses on just the prosperous is the government that is now propping up a morally and financially bankrupt “free market” system.

The government that says we are responsible to nothing but our own individual pursuits has led us to chaos and war.

Obama reminds us that there is a “price and promise of citizenship,” that the responsibility for delivering the “great gift of freedom” to future generations is ours – and it is our turn to come forth together to meet the common danger.

Clearly President Obama realizes that the heavy lifting ahead will require everyone’s cntribution. For 8 years, we have been yearning for someone to ask us to pitch in, and now we have the leadership that has agreed to channel our energy to solving problems larger than ourselves.

I’m excited because President Obama inspires hope in me like no other president has in my lifetime.

It really is time for Americans to put partisan bickering behind them, and I think that President Obama is trying hard to set that tone. The United States SHOULD be a big tent, and I completely agree with him that our diverse races, religions, and other differences have the potential to make us a stronger nation than we would be if we all viewed life through the same lens.

We need to work together to reverse the disastrous policies (both national and foreign) that defined the past eight years.

Really – let’s get to work: Let’s roll up our sleeves, help the poor in our communities, work for the Millennium Development Goals and for justice in the world, look out for the interests of kids, and take the high road in our dealings with one another.

Let’s do it for ourselves, our kids, our grandkids, and the rest of the world. This is our chance to change the course of our very blessed nation.

I saw an 88 yo patient today who was excited by the day’s events. He relayed that the first President he voted for was FDR. He compared today’s events to when Roosevelt had to clean up the mess left by free market free wheeling “bandits” led by Coolidge, Harding and Hoover and the party “without a conscious”. We can only hope Obama spends his political capital as wisely as FDR. Bush is similar to Hoover in many ways and except for the vast mess he left behind may prove to not be a hard act to follow.

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This blog expands on Nicholas Kristof’s twice-weekly columns, sharing thoughts that shape the writing but don’t always make it into the 800-word text. It’s also the place where readers make their voices heard.